


The Avenging Angel

by TreeOfLife1997



Series: Fem!Kirk/Reaper!McCoy: Her Reaper and His Angel [2]
Category: Doom (2005), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Doom!Trek - Freeform, Fem!Kirk, John Grimm is Leonard McCoy, Multi, Reaper!McCoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 22:44:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11045883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TreeOfLife1997/pseuds/TreeOfLife1997
Summary: When Helena took up the identity of Jane T. Kirk, she knew life wasn't going to be easy. But crazy Romulans from the future, with an aim to destroying the entire Federation? That wasn't what she'd been expecting. Just how is she going to keep her crew alive? Things are only made harder by her best friend, who looks a hell of a lot like her husband, John Grimm.Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Doom.





	1. Chapter 1

Helena couldn't help but roll her eyes as she walked back across the club floor to the bar, her serving trey tucked under one of her arms as she went. Working in a club like this was a far cry from the jobs she usually did, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Plus she was only passing through. She liked to return to Earth every now and again, even if she was never able to use her birth name.

For some reason every since she'd rolled into Riverside on her beat up hoverbike, everyone had called her Jane and she had rolled with it. She still wasn't any closer to finding out who this Jane, they thought she was, is. But the manager was paying cash-in-hand… Well credits, so she wasn't complaining.

As she drew closer to the bar, she noticed a pretty young woman approach the bar. At first Helena though she wouldn't mind spending the night with her, her years of immortal life had really widened her sexual interested. After all why limit yourself to a fraction of the population? Besides she'd always had interest in both sexes, but never really acted on those desires before she'd become immortal, only now she was able to throw aliens into the mix too...

But as Helena drew closer, she noticed the way the young woman walked and held herself. Helena's money was on her being stuck up rich kid, so maybe not the best choice in bed partners for the night.

"Hi," The woman greeted the barman. "I'd like a Klabnian Fire Tea, two Cardassian Sunrises and three Earth beers, no slim-shots, anything on draft. And a shot of Jack, straight up."

"That's a lot of drinks for one woman, especially one wearing boots like that," Helena said making a show of looking the women up and down as she reached the bar and gave the women a flirtatious smile before turning to the guy behind the bar and tapping her tray. "Her drink are on me."

"Her drinks on her," The woman cut in. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Don't you want my name before you completely reject me?" Helena teased, knowing the women had completely missed her name tag showing she worked at the club.

"I'm good without it," The woman replied, with a hint of distaste in her voice.

"You are good without it," Helena answered. "It's Jane."

Grinning Helena tapped her name badge.

"Seeing as you've refused my help to carry your drinks, I believe I at least deserve a name in return… If you don't tell me your name, I'm gonna have to make one up for you." Helena winked at her.

It was one of Helena's favourite hobbies, messing with people and this nameless woman before her was just making it too easy for her and Helena almost laughed at the expression the woman was pulling at her.

"Uhura," The woman answered.

"Uhura? No way!" Helena laughed. "That's the name I was gonna make up for you. Uhura what?"

"Just Uhura," She answered.

"They don't have last names on your world?" Helena asked, she long ago learnt not to assume someone was human just because they looked it.

"Uhura is my last name."

"They don't have first names in your world?" Helena questioned, it wouldn't be the first time she meet a species like that, before deciding to tease Uhura some more. "Wait, let me guess. Is it 'Jane'?"

That actually made Uhura smile as she finally seemed to have cottoned on to the fact Helena was just messing with her. And Helena just grinned in response before setting down her tray and placing Uhura's drinks on it.

"Lead the way," Helena waved her forward and Uhura did so.

"Okay, so you're clearly a cadet," Helena said as they walked across the club. "What's your focus?"

"Xenolinguistics," Uhura answered, before glancing at Helena with a smirk. "Let me guess, you don't know what that means."

Helena laughed, "Let me guess, the study of Alien languages, phonology, morphology, syntax. It means you've got a talented tongue."

"And for a moment there, I thought you were just a dumb hick who only has sex with farm animals."

"Well… Not only."

"You think you're smart."

"Oh, babe," Helena laughed, but there was a hint of sadness to it. "I'm the smartest."

And Uhura really had no idea how true that was. Helena's intelligence level was off the chart. Her mind wasn't a human mind it was a C-24 enhanced mind. Even the Vulcan's couldn't outsmart her. Finally they reached the table Uhura and her friends were sitting at.

"This townie bothering you?" A voice from behind Helena asked, as she finished setting the drinks down.

"Beyond belief," Uhura laughed. "But nothing I can't handle."

"You could handle me," Helena winked at Uhura. "That's an invitation."

The person who had spoken grabbed Helena's shoulder and spun her around and Helena came face to face with one of the cadets who had tried to grope Helena earlier that evening and he was far drunker than he'd been the first time he'd approached her.

"Hey!" The cadet snapped at her. "You mind your manners."

"At ease, Cupcake, it was a joke," Helena grinned at him. "A bit like your hairline."

Uhura snorted into her drink and the cadet growled. Glancing up at the cadet Uhura catches the look in his eyes.

"Hey," Uhura reached forward and pulled by Jane's arm. "Jane, why don't you join us?"

"What did you just say?" The cadet demanded, grabbing Helena's other arm as she went to move.

"You heard me, Moon Beam," Helena replied. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to step aside, I've got a job to get back to."

"You know how to count farm brat?" The cadet demanded. "There's five of us... And one of you."

Helena stared at him, completely unimpressed by the arrival of his friends.

"Okay, so go get some more guys, come back and then it'll be an even fight," Helena stared the cadet down.

What could she say, Hoshi had always told her not to tell lies and it'd take more than five drunk men to take her down in a fight… Even death couldn't keep her down for long.

The cadet swung his fist but Helena free hand shot up and caught it. In a single move she breaks his hand. One of the cadet's friends sent a punch her way and Helena doesn't have time to duck. The force of the blow sends her crashing backwards onto Uhura's and her friends table with a bloody face, but her nose had already healed.

A second one of Cupcakes friends grabbed hold of Helena and pulled her up and Helena came up swinging, which sent the cadet backwards with a split lip and bloody face to match hers. A third one of Cupcakes friend's grabbed hold of her and Helena aimed for his knee with one well-aimed kick the cadet fell to the ground, screaming and Helena turned as another came at her. Only to be grabbed by two of Cupcakes friends and held in place as the fourth punched her, whilst the third crawls away whimpering.

"Enough!" Uhura yelled. "STOP!"

Finally, Helena twisted herself free and sent the fourth cadet backwards across the room with one well-timed move. He landed on the floor unconscious, but he'd suffer no lasting damage, other than the damage done to his ego that is! Helena turned her attention to the two cadets who'd been holding her and it didn't take her long to floor both of them. And Cupcake had just got a lucky punch in when an ear-splitting whistle sounded and the entire club fell silent.

Helena looked around and noticed a Starfleet Officer standing in the doorway, looking very unimpressed at the scene before him. And Helena could understand why. Five cadets had just lost a fight to a blonde bar girl… That hardly made the cadets look good. Not that Helena really cared. Some of the federation greatest fighters were women, but old stereotypes died hard and no guy likes get their ass handed to them by a woman.

"Outside, all of you!" The officer yelled. "NOW!"

Quickly all the cadets in the bar quickly left and Uhura sent a worried glance at Helena as she left and Helena just grinned at her, showing bloody teeth, but Helena had no injuries. All of them had healed seconds after she'd gotten them, leaving the blood as the only sign they'd been there to start with.

"You alright, Miss... Jane?" The officer asked, seeing her name tag.

Helena snorted and wiped some blood from her face. Now that was a question with multiple answers.

"You can whistle really loud, y'know that?" Helena answered avoiding the question.

The officer just stared at her, before looking down at the unconscious forms of the cadets she'd been fighting.

"Well… If that all," Helena said adjusting her ruffled and bloodstained clothes. "I've got to get back to work."

~*~

Helena was sitting at the bar, going over the receipts from the night and logging the data onto the clubs computer, when the sound of someone entering the club caught her attention.

"We're closed," Helena called over her shoulder not taking her eyes of the job she was doing.

"I couldn't believe it when the bartender told me who you are," The voice of the Starfleet Officer from earlier reached her ears.

"And who am I, Captain Pike?" Helena asked, having done some research of her own.

"Your father's daughter," Pike answered as he sat at the bar beside her. "For my dissertation, I was assigned the U.S.S. Kelvin. Something I admired about your dad... He didn't believe in no-win scenarios."

Helena froze.

Holy shit!

People thought she was Jane Tiberia Kirk, the Kelvin baby.

"He sure learned his lesson," Helena answered, choosing to play the unimpressed daughter routine.

"Depends on how you define winning. You're here, aren't you?"

Helena snorted. Of course she was! She's immortal. She was going to around for a long time, no matter what happened.

"That instinct to leap without looking," Pike continued. "That was his nature, too. And in my opinion it's something Starfleet has lost. We're admirable, respectable. But overly-disciplined. Those cadets you took on, they'll make competent officers-"

Helena's laughter cut Pike off and she finally turned to look at him, "Those cadets just tried to beat up a civilian… And if I had to guess it was revenge from when Cupcake tried to grope me earlier in the night and I threatened to break his arm, if he ever tried it again… God help Starfleet if that's all it takes to a 'competent officer'!"

"But you can bet your ass they'll run home to mummy the minute they're looking down the barrel of a Klingon phaser cannon," Pike continued as if he hadn't heard her, but he made a mental note to seek out those cadets for further discipline later.

"Why are you talking to me?" Helena finally asked.

"I looked up your file. Your aptitude tests were off the charts. What is it, d'you like being the only Genius Level repeat-offender in the midwest?"

Helena knew about the rumours she, well Jane, was nothing but trouble and it seemed there was a lot of truth behind those rumours. So where was the real Jane Kirk? She'd have to look into it later, there could be trouble if the real Jane suddenly turned up.

"Maybe I love it," Helena answered.

"So your daddy dies, you can settle for a less-than-ordinary life. Or do you feel like you're meant for something better? Something special?"

Helena just stared at Pike. This was beginning to sound a lot like a recruitment speech.

"Come to think of it, I do want to feel special," Helena deadpanned. "You know what? I'm gonna go start a book club."

"Enlist in Starfleet," Pike disagreed.

"Enlist?" Helena laughed in disbelief. "You must be way down on your recruiting quota for the month."

"If you're half the person your father was, Jane, Starfleet could use you. You could be an officer in four years, have your own ship in eight."

"You done?" Jane asked, getting up.

"Riverside shipyard. Shuttle for new recruits leaves tomorrow, o-eight-hundred hours… Your father was Captain of a Starship, for twelve minutes. He saved eight-hundred lives. I dare you to do better."

Helena looked at Pike for a moment before picking up her jacket and leaving the club having finished her job for the night. Before she did anything else she needed to find out where the real Jane was and what had happened to her. She'd had multiple identities in the past, but all of them she'd had created herself. She had never stolen someone else's identity, even if they were dead… It would have only lead to trouble, if she was ever found out.

~*~

Jane passed the corn filled plains that made up the Iowa countryside, in a blur, as pushed her hoverbike to its limits as she raced towards the shipyard to make the shuttle on time. She been up all night working out what had happened to the real Jane.

Jane was long gone.

So it was safe for Helena to use her identity and she sort of felt the need for Jane's name to be remembered, after what had happened to her and how easily she'd been forgotten. So she'd decided to take Pike up on his challenge… She had nothing better to do.

Finally reaching the shipyard, she pulled into the yard and killed the engine and hopped off her bike. The shipyard around her was alive with movement and Helena watched as people went about their business.

"Nice ride," Someone called across to her.

Helena kicked down the stand of her bike and threw the keys to the guy who'd called across to her.

"It's your, man," Helena told him. "Just take good care of her."

She turned and spotted Pike standing next to a shuttle.

"Four years?" Helena grinned, stopping beside Pike and causing him to jump at her sudden appearance. "I'll do it in three."

Grinning at Pike, Helena walked past him and onto the shuttle, starting her life as Jane T Kirk. Jane walked up the ramp and into the shuttle. She walks down the row towards the two empty seats she'd caught sight of and past the other new recruits. As she moved down the row she noticed some of the new recruits were alien, it appeared the number of humans and none human species in Starfleet were finally beginning to even out.

After bumping her head on a low bar and laughing to herself at her own clumsiness, Jane finally reached her seat. She sat down and noticed the cadets from the night before seating slightly further down from her. She grinned at them and gave a mocking salute. All of them looked well and truly beaten and Cupcake had his hand in a bandage.

"At ease, Gentlemen," Jane can't help but tease them. "I'm not here to beat you up a second time."

A snort from closer to the front of the shuttle caught Jane's attention.

"Uhura!" Jane greeted with a smile. "Never did get that first name."

Uhura smiled at her, "It's Nyota… I never did get that last name."

"Kirk," Jane grinned and almost laughed at how those she'd fought with, stiffened.

"You need a doctor," A voice from the back of the shuttle caught Jane's attention as she pulled on her belt.

"Are you people deaf?" A second voice answered and Jane froze.

The voice reminded her of John Grimm, be it with a Georgia accent.

"I told you I don't need a doctor, damn it! I AM A DOCTOR!"

Once upon a time, Jane T Kirk had been Mrs Grimm. She had once been known as Helena Engel-Sato, an archaeologist, biologist and geneticist working for the UAC on Mars and that was where she had met John Grimm, a marine and the twin brother of one of her work colleagues and closest friend, Samantha Grimm.

The two of them had just clicked.

Jane would be the first to admit they had many disagreements over the years they were together on a great many things, but what they had, it had been true love. Not five years after they had meet on Mars, they were married and ten years after that, she died in a car crash. After that John had disappeared like smoke in the wind. Not that Jane could have approached him even if he hadn't, she'd been dead on record after all.

She had then hacked the database and forged herself a new identify. From there she travelled around Europe taking up a new identify every ten to fifteen years. Then space travel had become something that was available to everyone and she had travelled from planet to planet, returning to Earth between lifetimes. And that was how she found herself aboard a shuttle bound for Starfleet with a name that wasn't her own.

Only this time Jane T Kirk wasn't a name she had made up, it was a name she had taken from someone else, not that the original Jane would be missed. She had been killed by her stepfather, Frank, just after her eleventh birthday after she had crashed a car into a quarry. Her older brother had been killed by Frank too after he tried to run away.

She didn't need to worry about Winona either.

The woman had died alongside her children. Frank had beaten her to death before turning his old-fashioned handgun on himself. How the local authorities hadn't found out about this, she didn't know. An entire family had disappeared and nobody had noticed. It was strange and highly worrying.

And if it hadn't been for Pike mistaking her for one Jane T Kirk, she wouldn't have the name she was currently using and she would never have found the skeletons of the Kirk family in their old home, which had mysteriously caught fire not long after she had found it and four freshly dug graves in the back garden had appeared.

"You need to find a seat," The female officer said.

"I had one on the bathroom, Darlin', with no windows."

"Sir, for your own safety-"

"-I suffer from Aviaphobia-"

"Sit down, or I will MAKE you-"

"-which in case you don't understand big-"

"Sit down!"

"-words, it means 'fear of dying-"

"Do you hear me?"

"-in something that flies'."

During the course of their argument, they had made I across the shuttle to the empty seat beside Jane.

"Sir, for your own safety," The woman all but yelled at him. "Sit down or else I'll make you sit down!"

They glare at each other.

"Fine," The man finally said and all but fell into the seat next to Jane.

"Thank you," The woman muttered before walking off.

"This is Captain Pike, we've been cleared for take-off," Pike's voice sounded over the intercom.

"I may throw up on you," The man warned her, without looking at her.

"I think these things are pretty safe," Jane told him.

The man's head snapped up and he stared at her. Jane shifted slightly in her seat feeling uncomfortable. The man even had the same coloured eyes as John. He just stared at her, but Jane got a feeling it wasn't her he was seeing, but someone else.

"Don't pander to me, kid," He finally replied. "One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. A solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats… Hell, some of the damn passengers are blue. And wait 'till you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is disease and danger, wrapped in darkness and silence."

The man acted just like John used to.

"I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space," Jane answered.

"Yeah," The man answered pulling a flask from his pocket and unscrewing the top. "Well... I've got nowhere else to go, the ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce… All I've got left is my bones."

Jane couldn't help but feel angry and jealous at the same time, as she watched the man as he took a drink from his flask before he offered it to her. Jane took it and held it up in a slight toast.

"Jane Kirk," She introduced herself, before taking a drink.

It was John's favourite.

"McCoy," The man answered, taking the flask as she handed back. "Leonard McCoy."

Suddenly the shuttle shudders and McCoy goes pale and gripped his armrest tightly.

"You alright… Bones?" Jane asked.

McCoy shook his head, before glaring at her.

"Bones?"

"Well there all you've got left," Jane pointed out with a cheeky grin. "Plus, you're a doctor, so you're a sawbones."


	2. Chapter 2

"Why are you so happy?" McCoy demanded as he and Jane walked down the steps from the main academy building, side by side, three years later.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jane grinned innocently, glancing at McCoy.

"No," McCoy sighed. "I don't suppose you do."

"Hello, girls," Jane winked as a small group of young women walked past them up the steps.

"Hey, Jane," They answered.

"You coming out tonight?" One of them asked, pausing.

"Nope," Jane shook her head. "I've got a date."

"Maybe another night?" Another questioned.

"I'm free Saturday," Jane smiled.

"I'll let the others know," They grinned in reply, before continuing on their way.

"I'm taking the test again," Jane said suddenly turning back to McCoy.

"You got to be kidding me!" McCoy exclaimed.

"Yeah," Jane laughed. "Tomorrow morning and I want you there."

"You know, I've got better things to do than to watch you embarrass yourself for the third time," McCoy shook his head slightly. "I'm a doctor, Jane, I'm busy."

"Bones," Jane stopped walking as the reached the bottom of the steps. "It doesn't bother you that no one's ever passed the test?"

"Jane, it's the Kobayashi Marui," McCoy explained. "No one passes the test, and no one goes back for seconds, let alone thirds!"

Jane stared at McCoy for a moment before glancing around.

"I've got to study," She suddenly said, before walking off.

"Study, my ass," McCoy scowled as she walked off. "You do realise I was present when you said you had a date, right?"

Jane turned around and walked backwards as she grinned at McCoy.

"I do have a date," Jane laughed. "With my textbooks."

McCoy rolled his eyes and walked off in the opposite direction and Jane's smile widened.

"Jane!" A voice yelled, causing Jane to turn and look round.

"Hey, Ny," Jane greeted the women running towards her. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Jackson?" Uhura asked upon reaching Jane.

Jane shook her head.

"I haven't seen him since last Thursday, Ny," Jane answered. "You tried comming him?"

Uhura nodded, "I have. I've been trying to reach him all day… Usually, he answers straight away. What if something's happened to him, Jane?!"

"I'm sure he's fine," Jane tried to reassure Uhura. "Maybe you should try medical. Bones was complaining about the number of cadets that had caught that bug the USS Hood bought back from the second years' training mission last week... Something to do with Melvaran mud fleas..."

"I'll try there," Uhura replied. "I'll see you later, Jane!"

"I'm sure you will," Jane winked and Uhura rolled her eyes before running off in the direction of the Starfleet Academy Medical building.

Jane grinned to herself before hurrying on her way. She did have a date, but it wasn't with a textbook like she'd told McCoy… It was with a computer virus, which she and one of her closet friends had been working on since she'd failed the test for the second time.

~*~

"Seab!" An excited voice greeted Jane as she entered her shared dorm room.

Jane looked up to see Gaila sitting on her bed, painting her nails and Jane recognised the bottle from Uhura's collection.

"Does Ny know you're stealing her nail varnish again?" Jane asked, hardly bothered by the fact Gaila was only dressed in her underwear.

"I don't think I need to answer that," Gaila giggled.

Jane grinned and began to strip off her academy uniform when she realised that there were three hearts beating in the room when there should only have been two. Jane looked around and glared at Gaila who was still painting her nails.

"Gaila…" Jane warned. "You know Ny doesn't like it when you bring guys back to the room! And I'm pretty sure you promised her you'd stop bringing guys back here."

"Who said anything about there being a guy here?" Gaila asked innocently.

"Well," Jane said turning to her wardrobe. "Just make sure he's gone before Ny gets back."

"Ny's not going to be back until tomorrow morning," Gaila explained. "She's going to be in the long-range sensor lab all night… Pretty sure she's trying to impress that hot Vulcan professor again."

Jane glanced over her shoulder at Gaila as she pulled on a pair of leggings and a loose fitting top.

"Do you want me to step out of the room why you get rid of your boy toy?" Jane asked as she arranged her hair into its usual messy bob style.

"You can share him with me if you want," Gaila offered.

Jane snorted, "I more than capable of getting my own."

"But it's more fun when there's three of us," Gaila pouted playfully, as she reached across and returned the bottle of nail varnish to Uhura's bedside table. "Plus, when it comes to sex, sleeping with you is like-"

"Gaila!" Jane cut her off.

"What?" Gaila sent her an innocent look. "Did I say something wrong?"

Before Jane could answer, the door to their dorm room opened and Uhura walked in. Jane grinned and flopped down on her bed and picked up her PADD. She was looking forward to seeing how this played out, once Uhura worked out there was a guy hiding under Gaila's bed.

"Hey!" Gaila greeted Uhura.

"Hey," Uhura answered, as she began to take off her uniform and hang it up neatly, unlike Jane's, which lay where it had fallen on the floor.

"I thought you were going to be in the long-range sensor lab all night," Gaila said.

"I was supposed to be, but it was crazy, I picked up an emergency transmission from a Klingon prison planet… There was an escape and a ship stolen from the-"

Uhura stopped talking and slowly turned to face Gaila.

"Who is he?" Uhura asked, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at Gaila.

"Who's who?" Gaila asked innocently, playing with her hair.

"The mouth breather hiding under your bed," Uhura replied.

"You could hear me breathing?" A voice questioned.

Jane looked up and watched as Gary Mitchel climbed out from under Gaila's bed. Of all the guys Gaila could pick, why did it have to be the creep from her command track classes?

"You!" Uhura exclaimed upon seeing him. "Get out! Now!"

"Gaila," Gary turned to face her. "See you around."

"Get out!" Uhura yelled.

"Okay, okay," Gary said raising his hands in surrender. "I'm going."

Once Gary was gone, Uhura glared at Gaila.

"What were you thinking?!" Uhura demanded. "Of all the guys at this academy, you had to pick him!"

"He's hot!" Gaila defended herself.

"He's a creep!" Uhura argued.

Jane almost laughed as the two of them continued to argue. She tapped at her PADD screen and frowned.

"Hey, Ny," Jane called.

"Yes!" Uhura snapped turning to face Jane.

"What exactly happened in the long-range sensor lab?"

"I was tracking solar systems and I picked up an emergency transmission."

"Where from?"

"A Klingon prison planet."

"I know, I meant which one."

"Umm," Uhura frowned.

"Was it Rura Penthe?" Jane asked.

"Yeah," Uhura nodded. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," Jane answered.

Nobody needed to know about her time spent on that planet when the first starship Enterprise, captained by Jonathan Archer, encountered the Klingons and how she'd kept herself linked into the Klingons computer system ever since.

"Anything else?" Jane questioned.

"Yeah," Uhura replied. "A Klingon armada was destroyed. Forty-seven ships."

Jane frowned at her PADD screen, according to the information on her screen, the Klingons had just declared war on the Romulans… But the Romulans didn't have that kind of firepower and a few prisoners definitely wouldn't have been able to stage such an escape on their own. So who had helped them?

~*~

Uhura turned in her seat to look at her station, seeming bored and slightly resentful that Jane had talked her into doing this.

"We are receiving a distress signal from the U.S.S. Kobayashi Maru. The ship has lost power and is stranded. Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them."

Jane looked up at Uhura from where she's sitting in the Captains' Chair.

"Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them... _Captain_." Jane corrects her with a grin and Uhura rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Klingon vessels have entered the Neutral Zone," McCoy spoke up from the console he was sitting in front of. "And they are firing at us."

"That's okay," Jane replied, twirling the apple in her hand.

All the cadets turned and looked at her confused.

"It's okay?" McCoy demanded.

"Yeah," Jane said, staring at the view screen. "Don't worry about it."

"Three more Klingon Warbirds de-cloaking and targeting our ship," McCoy announced. "I don't suppose this is a problem either?"

"Nope," Jane said.

"They're firing, Captain," The cadet at the weapons station said.

"Alert medical bay to prepare to receive all crew members from the damaged ship," Jane ordered.

"And how do you expect us to rescue them when we're surrounded by Klingons?" Uhura asked.

"Alert medical," Jane repeated.

Annoyed, Uhura does as she told and Jane got up from her seat and walked over to the communications station.

"Our ship is being hit," McCoy called after her. "Shields at sixty per cent."

"Understood," Jane nodded.

"Should we at least, I dunno, fire back?" McCoy snapped.

"Mmmm," Jane hummed, as she sat down at Uhura's station. "No."

"Of course not," McCoy sighed.

Jane just grinned and pulled out a memory stick from the pocket of the uniform she was wearing, inserted it into the console of the commutations station and uploaded what was on the device. She typed in a few commands, before turning to Uhura.

"Broadcast this signal at all enemy vessels," Jane ordered, before returning to her seat.

She was just glad this simulation was made as real as possible, or otherwise, her plan wouldn't have had a hope in hell of working. The Klingons had one weak point, their internal computer systems were vulnerable to attack… So if you could program a computer virus to act a certain way and broadcast on a set frequency, you could, in fact, cripple an entire fleet. Jane had learnt that fact many years ago and she had no qualms about exploiting it… She still had nightmares about her time on that prison planet.

"The Kobayashi Maru is still in distress. But the Klingons have stopped firing," Uhura announced.

"Arm photons," Jane ordered. "Prepare to fire on the Klingon warbirds."

"Jane," McCoy said. "Their shields are up."

"Are they?" Jane challenged.

McCoy looked at his monitor, "No they're not."

"Fire at all enemy ships. Aim to disable, not destroy," Jane ordered. "One photon each should do the trick, let's not waste ammunition."

"Target lock acquired on all warbirds," The weapons officer announced. "Firing!"

"Begin rescue of the stranded crew," Jane ordered once all the Klingon warbirds had been disabled. "So… We've eliminated all enemy ships, no one on board was injured and the successful rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew is underway."

Jane grinned and took a bite out of her apple.


	3. Chapter 3

Jane was sat beside McCoy in the Academy assembly hall, waiting to hear the end of week announcements so she could hurry up and get to class and start her day.

"Jane T. Kirk," The officer overseeing the assembly ordered. "Step forward."

Quickly Jane got to her feet and walked to the end of her row and down the stairs to one of the two podiums.

"An incident occurred yesterday that concerns the entire student body. Academic immorality by one is an assault on us all. It will not stand. Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council suggesting you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuant to regulation 17.43 of the Starfleet code. Is there anything you care to say before we begin?"

"Yes, sir," Jane answered. "I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly."

The Officer nodded and Jane looked round to see the Vulcan instructor Uhura was not so secretly dating, stand up and walk down the steps.

"This is Commander Spock, one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobayashi Maru test for the last four years," The Officer introduced him.

"Cadet Kirk," Spock stepped up to the second podium. "It is obvious you somehow managed to install and activate a sub-routine in the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test, prior to the test commencing."

"I did no such thing," Jane answered honestly.

She hadn't. Her virus had changed nothing about the program. The test had been made to be as real as possible and that realness had allowed her to do what anyone was capable of doing in a real-life situation… If they were intelligent enough, of course! Plus her virus had entered the simulation after it had started not before.

"You cheated," Spock argued.

"Define 'cheating'?" Jane asked.

"To deceive by trickery," Spock answered.

"Now let me ask you something I think we all know the answer to," Jane glanced at the assembled cadets. "The test is rigged, isn't it? You programmed it to be unwinnable."

"Cadet Kirk," The officer interrupted. "I don't see how the intent of the exam is relevant to these proceedings."

"Because if I'm right, Sir, then the test itself is a cheat."

"Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario," Spock pointed out.

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios," Jane glanced at Spock. "And more to the point there is no such thing as a no-win scenario… No matter what, there is always a chance, no matter how small it may be."

"Then not only have you violated the rules, you've failed to understand the principle lesson."

"Please, enlighten me."

"You, of all people should know, Cadet Kirk, a captain cannot cheat death."

"I of all people?"

"Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, had assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action, did he not?"

"How long did it take you to look that up?"

"How long did it take you to program the virus that allowed you to cheat?"

"Maybe you just don't like the fact I beat your test," Jane turned to face him. "Because I did not infect you programming with any sort of virus prior to the test. I used a means of winning which was within the tests perimeters. The hacking of a Klingon warbird, through a virus like I imputed after the simulation had started, might I add, is hard to do, but not impossible. It has also been recorded as an effective means of disabling and destroying said ships… It is not the first time a Starfleet ship has done so."

"I am Vulcan, 'Like' is not a verb in our vernacular. I've simply made the logical deduction that you're a liar."

"What an idiot I am for taking that personally," Jane rolled her eyes.

"Agreed," Spock answered. "Furthermore, you have failed to divine the purpose of the test."

"Enlighten me again."

"The purpose is to experience fear. Fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear and maintain command of one's self and one's crew. This is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain."

"So you're telling me the point of the whole thing, is to be afraid?"

"Fear is necessary, yes."

"Have you taken the test, Commander Spork?" Jane deliberately said his name wrong.

"Spock," The Vulcan corrected. "As a Vulcan, I require no additional training to control my narcissism when making command decisions."

The audience lets a collective gasp, even Uhura looked insulted by what her boyfriend had just said. Jane simply stared at him. Did he not release half the audience was made up of humans? Jane snorted, for a species which claimed themselves to be intelligent, they really were stupid.

"You keep reminding me that you're Vulcan. And I'm sure you're really proud of that, who wouldn't be," Jane stared at him. "But isn't it true you people don't experience fear at all?"

Spock raises an eyebrow at that.

"And if that's the case, what does that say about your ability to make command decisions? Because if you can't feel fear, then it'd be logical to believe you can't feel anything at all. So no empathy. No feelings what so ever. Those who have no feelings don't care who gets hurt, as long as their job is done at the end of the day."

Jane paused and continued to stare Spock down.

"More to the point, your test is pointless. You cannot simulate real fear in the face of certain death, because every cadet who walks into that chamber know it isn't real. Every cadet who walks into that chamber knows they are going to lose no matter what they do. So you are teaching your students to give up when faced with seemingly impossible odds… You think teaching people about fear is important, but teaching people never to give up, is far more important in my book."

Jane paused again to catch her breath.

"I know for a fact the majority of cadets who have taken that test, did not take it seriously, nor did they even try to win. And you know why? Because they knew no matter what they did they wouldn't be able to win. So what have you taught them, Spock? I'll answer it for you: You have taught them how to surrender when they find themselves in a tight spot. You have taught them to give up and to accept their deaths… You have taught them how to stop fighting. You have taught them to die!"

The silence which filled the chamber was almost deafening.

"That still does not change the fact you cheated, Cadet Kirk," Spock responded after a long moment.

"I did not cheat," Jane sighed. "I don't doubt there's a virus within your test. No doubt someone thought it'd help them win, but I didn't place it there, nor did I use it."

The overseeing Officer suddenly cleared his throat.

"It seems Cadet Kirk is correct," He said. "The virus within the program has just been activated, which would coincide with Cadet Mitchell's test. Further examination of the virus has concluded it was in fact programmed by Cadet Vro and was part of her final examination, which was stolen last week. And nor did the virus aid Cadet Kirk in any way."

The officer paused.

"What Cadet Kirk said is true, her virus has in fact been used by Starfleet before to disable Klingon ships. Well done, Cadet Kirk, on paying attention in your History of the Federation classes. Cadet Kirk is hereby cleared of all charges and my congratulations on being the first cadet to pass the test."

Jane nodded to the officer before turning to Spock and nodding to him also. She quickly walked back to the steps and hurried up them and returned to her seat. McCoy glanced at her and Jane could see a ghost of a smile on his lips and Jane beamed at him. Suddenly a lieutenant wearing a red shirt entered the hall and run over to the officer in charge and handed them a PADD.

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan," The officer addressed the hall. "Cadets, report to Shuttle Hangar One immediately. Dismissed."


	4. Chapter 4

"Blake, U.S.S. Newton! Jaxa, U.S.S. Endeavor! Counter, U.S.S. Odyssey! T'nag, U.S.S. Antares! Fugeman, Regula One! Pomeroy, U.S.S. Oddyssey! McGrath, U.S.S. Newton! Mitchel, U.S.S. Wolcott! Uhura, U.S.S. Farragut! McCoy, U.S.S. Enterprise! Welcome to Starfleet and Godspeed!"

"Excuse me, you didn't call my name," Jane approached the man calling out the names and postings. "Kirk, Jane T."

"U.U.S Enterprise," The man answered.

Jane turned and grinned at McCoy who was still stood beside her.

"Would you look at that, Bones, we're on the same ship!"

"God, help me," McCoy sighed.

"Aww, don't be like that, Bones," Jane linked her arm through his, as they made their way towards the shuttles. "We both know you love me."

"More than you could ever know," McCoy whispered sadly and if it wasn't for Jane's advanced hearing she wouldn't have heard him.

McCoy loved her? She glanced at him as she walked. McCoy loved her! How had she missed this? She'd lived with him as his roommate for the first year and a half she'd been at the academy, before she'd been transferred to Uhura and Gaila's room! Why hadn't he said something? Why hadn't he made a move? Why hadn't he asked her out?

They finally reached the shuttle which would be taking them to the Enterprise and Jane unlinked their arms and grabbed McCoy by the hand and dragged him onto the shuttle and pulled him down into a seat beside her. McCoy just grumbled to himself and Jane grinned, before thinking back to all the times she and McCoy had spent together.

How had she missed it? It was so clear that he loved her, even a blind man could have seen it and now that she thought about it, she loved him too and not just because he reminded her of John Grimm. She loved him for him and she wouldn't change him for the world... But could she enter a relationship with McCoy, knowing that she was going to outlive him no matter what happened?

"Hey," McCoy suddenly broke her out of her thoughts. "Didn't Uhura get assigned to the U.S.S. Farragut?"

"Yeah," Jane replied and looked up at where McCoy was staring.

Uhura had just boarded the shuttle and taken a seat further down from them.

"She probably got her boyfriend to transfer her," Jane explained. "We all know how much she wanted to get placed on the Enterprise."

"Her boyfriend?" McCoy questioned. "Since when does Uhura have a boyfriend?"

"Since she tested out Commander Spock's classes," Jane answered.

"The pointy-eared bastard?"

"The one and only."

"Huh," McCoy grunted.

Jane just laughed.

"You should take a look at this," McCoy said suddenly, not long after they had cleared Earth's atmosphere.

Looking out the window Jane was sitting next to, she saw the U.S.S. Enterprise waiting in the space-dock.

It was a beautiful ship.

~*~

Jane stood in a hallway, in a small queue as she waited to see where her quarters for the mission ahead would be. McCoy was glaring at the cadets which surrounded them and Jane rolled her eyes at his behaviour. She hoped she didn't get sent to the medical bay anytime soon, not that she'd actually ever need treatment. McCoy's mood was getting worse with every passing second.

Finally it was Jane's turn to use the display and she quickly typed in her name and memorised her room number. Much to her surprise she'd been given the rank 'Lieutenant' and would be working at the Bridges' tactical station. She waited as McCoy receive his information before grabbing his hand and pulling him through the crowds.

"Stay safe," Jane told him once they had stopped and before she could think twice, she leaned forward and kissed McCoy on the lips.

Not waiting to see his reaction, Jane quickly run off down the hallway and glanced over her shoulder as she turned a corner. McCoy was just stood there with a hand raised to his lips. Smiling to herself, Jane entered a turbo lift and hit the floor she needed. It didn't take her long to reach her room and change into her command gold dress and black regulation boots.

She left her room and hurried back along the hallway and entered the turbo-lift and much to her annoyance it wasn't empty. Commander Spock was stood in the centre of the lift with his arms folded behind him back.

"Commander," Jane greeted as she entered the lift.

"Ensign Kirk," Spock answered.

"It's Lieutenant, actually," Jane corrected him.

It didn't take them long to reach the bridge, thankfully.

"Captain," Spock greeted Pike, as Jane walked to her station. "Engineering reports 'ready for launch'."

"The maiden voyage of our newest flagship deserves more pomp and circumstance than we can afford today, but her christening will have to be our reward for a safe return," Pike said before hitting the intercom button on his chair. "All decks, this is Captain Pike. Prepare for immediate departure."

He then turned to the helm.

"Helm, thrusters," He ordered.

Jane glanced over at the helm and saw Hikaru Sulu was in the pilot's seat. He was the best and youngest pilot in the entire fleet and she was fortunate enough to know both him and his partner, Ben.

"Moorings retracted, Captain," Sulu informed Pike. "Dock Control reports ready. Separating from space dock. The fleet's cleared space dock, Captain. All ships ready for warp."

"Set course for Vulcan," Pike ordered.

"Course laid in, sir."

"Maximum warp. Punch it."

And Sulu did… But nothing happened, much to the confusion of the bridge crew.

"Lieutenant," Pike asked. "Where's Helmsman McKenna?"

"Uh, she has lungworms, sir?" Sulu replied. "She'll be fine but couldn't report to her post. I'm Hikaru Sulu."

"And you are a pilot, right?"

"Very much so, sir. I'm not sure what's... Wrong here..."

"Is the parking brake on?"

Sulu lets out a nervous laugh, "No, I'll figure it out, just-"

"Have you disengaged the External Inertial Dampener?" Spock asked.

It was then Sulu realised he hadn't. He quickly corrected it.

"Ready for warp, sir."

"The External Inertial Dampener," Pike pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's the parking brake."

"Yes, sir," Sulu quickly agreed.

"Let's punch it!"

And the Enterprise shot out of space dock and into the darkness of space, while Jane couldn't help but smile at Sulu's embarrassment over such a simple mistake. It reminded her of her time spent working on Mars. She once been using a microscope, not long after she first arrived on the planet, and had wondered why she couldn't see anything, only to realise she hadn't switched on the microscopes light.

~*~

"Engines at Maximum Warp," Sulu informed Pike as the headed towards Vulcan. "Captain."

"Russian whiz kid," Pike turned to look at Chekov. "What's your name again? Chanko? Cherpov?"

"Ensign Chekov, Pavel Andreievich, Sir," Chekov answered turning in his seat to look at Pike.

"Fine," Pike sighed. "Chekov, Pavel Andreievich, begin ship-wide mission broadcast."

"Yes sir," Chekov turned back to the console in front of him. "Ensign authorisation code: Nine-Five-Wictor-Wictor-Two."

" _Authorisation code not recognised,_ " A computerised voice answered him. " _Please try again._ "

Chekov sighed.

"Aigh, zees ees ze 23rd Century," Chekov mumbled to himself. "What good ees woice recognition zat doesn't recognise your woice?"

Sulu gave Chekov a sympathetic look.

"Nine-Five-Victor-Victor-Two," Sulu said.

" _Access granted. Inter-ship communication active,_ " The computerised voice informed them.

Chekov nodded his thanks to Sulu before he started speaking.

"Your attention, plees: At twenty-two hundred hours, telemetry detected an anomaly een ze Neutral Zone. What appeared to be a lightning storm een space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress signal from ze Wulcan High Council zat zeir planet was experiencing seismic activity. We zen lost contact with Wulcan entirely. Our mission ees to assess ze condition of Wulcan and assist een evacuations, eef necessary. We should be arriving at Wulcan within two minutes. Zank you for your time."

Jane looked up sharply from her station as she heard Chekov speaking.

A lightning storm in space…

"Computer, locate crew member Uhura," Jane ordered the computer at her station.

" _Lieutenant Uhura is at signals monitoring station twelve, deck four,_ " The computer answered her.

Jane quickly stood up from where she was siting and left her station, she wouldn't be missed as she was shadowing the officer present at the tactile station alongside her. She quickly entered the turbo-lift and told it where she needed to go. Jane shut her eyes and breathed deeply, she really hoped she was wrong about this… But there were very few times she was.

The turbo-lift came to a halt and Jane took off running as soon as the doors opened. It didn't take her long to reach Uhura's station.

"The transmission from the Klingon prison planet," Jane asked making Uhura jump, as she appeared soundlessly beside her. "What exactly did you hear?"

"What are you doing here?" Uhura demanded.

"Who was it who escaped?" Jane questioned, ignoring Uhura's question. "The ship that was stolen, it was Romulan, right?"

"Yes," Uhura answered. "How'd you know that?"

"Lucky guess," Jane replied. "We need to get to the bridge. Now!"


	5. Chapter 5

The turbo-lift doors opened and Jane hurried out onto the bridge, followed closely by Uhura.

"Captain Pike," Jane approached the Captain's chair. "Sir, we have to stop ship! Vulcan isn't experiencing a natural disaster, it's being attacked by Romulans!"

"Jane…" Pike turned towards her.

"Sir," Jane stepped forward.

"Lieutenant Kirk," Spock said stepping away from his station and approaching her. "What do you hope to achieve by recommending a full stop in trans-warp in the midst of a rescue mission?"

"It's not a rescue mission," Jane insisted. "Listen to me! It's an attack!"

"Based on what facts?"

"Fact one, the same anomaly, a lighting storm in space, which we saw today also occurred on the day of my birth," Jane explained counting them off on her fingers… Well it hadn't really been the day of her birth, by nobody needed to know that. "Before a Romulan ship attacked the U.S.S. Kelvin."

Jane turned towards Pike. "You know that, I read your dissertation. Which was good, might I add. Fact two, this ship, which had formidable and advanced weaponry, was never seen or heard from again. Fact three, the Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space and at eleven-hundred hours last night there was an escape from a Klingon prison planet, Rura Penthe. Fact four, the escaped prisoners were Romulans, Sir, and it was reported that they stole a ship from the prison dock."

"And you know of this prison escape how?" Pike asked.

Jane pointed at Uhura.

"Sir," Uhura stepped forward. "I intercepted and translated the message myself. Jane's report is accurate."

"We're warping into a trap," Jane insisted. "There are Romulans waiting for us, I promise you that."

Pike turned and looked at Spock, who was staring at Jane.

"Her logic is sound. And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics, we would be wise to accept her conclusion," Pike informed Pike.

Jane glanced at Uhura and grinned as Uhura blushed at Spock's praise. But it annoyed her that Spock had only agreed with what she was saying, due to the fact Uhura was on her side and not the fact she was right and had the evidence to back it up.

"Scan Vulcan space," Pike ordered, turning towards the communications officer. "Check if any transmissions are being made in Romulan."

"Sir, I'm not sure I could distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan," The communications officer replied.

"How about you?" Pike questioned turning to Uhura. "Do you speak Romulan, Cadet...?"

"Uhura, Sir," Uhura answered. "All three dialects."

"Uhura, relieve the Lieutenant," Pike said, turning around. "Mr. Hannity, hail the U.S.S. Truman."

Uhura quickly moved over to the communications console and put in an earpiece and frowned slightly as she worked.

"The other ships are out of warp and have arrived at Vulcan, Sir," Lieutenant Hannity informed Pike. "But we seem to have lost all contact."

"Captain, I pick up no Romulan transmissions," Uhura added. "Or transmissions of any kind in the area. There seems to be something jamming all communication around Vulcan."

"It's because they're being attacked," Jane moved forward to stand beside Pike. "Captain. Please."

Pike stared at Jane for a moment.

"Shields up," Pike ordered. "Ready all weapons."

Jane breathed a sigh of relief as red lights flash signalling the ship had gone to red alert.

"Arrival at Vulcan in five seconds!" Sulu counted down. "Four... three... two…"

The Enterprise drops out of warp and the sight which greeted them was complete and utter destruction. All the ships which had arrived before them had been destroyed and drifted, in pieces, lifelessly through the space around Vulcan.

"EMERGENCY EVASIVE!" Pike bellowed as they entered the debris field.

"ON IT, SIR!" Sulu yelled panic, slightly shaken by the sight before them.

Sulu quickly and expertly steered the ship through the debris. And as they cleared the debris, the Narada came into view and Jane stared at it. Never before had she seen a ship like it. It was huge. Far larger than any of Starfleet's ships.

"Captain," Spock voice calmly cut across the bridge. "They're locking torpedoes!"

"Full reverse, come about Starboard ninety degrees!" Pike ordered. "Drop us down underneath them! Prepare to fire all weapons!"

"Shields at thirty-two percent!" Sulu quickly called out as one of the torpedoes made contact the ship's shields. "Their weapons are powerful, Sir, we can't take another hit like that!"

"Get me Starfleet Command!" Pike demanded.

"Captain, the Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere," Spock said, not turning his attention away from his screen. "Its signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities."

"All power to forward shields, prepare to fire all weapons!" Pike said, hitting a button on the arm of his chair and contacting engineering. "Divert auxiliary power from port nacelle to the shields!"

"Captain, we're being hailed!" Uhura called across the bridge.

Pike nodded to Uhura and a Romulan appeared on the view screen.

~*~

"Hello," The Romulan greeted them in standard.

"I am Captain Christopher Pike," Pike answered. "To whom am I speaking?"

"I am called Nero," The Romulan, Nero, replied.

"You've declared war against the Federation," Pike stated. "Withdraw, and I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral loca-"

"I do not speak for the Empire," Nero cut him off. "We stand apart. As does your Vulcan crew member... Isn't that right? Spock?"

Everyone turned to look at Spock, well everyone apart from Jane, who kept her eyes fixed on Nero.

"Pardon me," Spock replied. "But I don't believe you and I are acquainted."

"No, we're not. Not yet," Nero glared at Spock. "I would like you to see something, Spock. Captain Pike, your transporter capability is disabled. You will man a shuttle and come aboard the Narada for negotiations. That is all."

And with that the transmission ended.

"He'll kill you," Jane said, turning to face Pike. "You know that going over to that ship is a mistake."

"Captain, we gain nothing by diplomacy. Your survival is unlikely," Jane was sure it physically pained Spock agree with her. "I, too, suggest you rethink this strategy."

"I understand that," Pike squared his shoulders, turning to face the bridge. "I need officers who have been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat!"

"I have training, Sir!" Sulu raised his hand.

"Then come with me. Kirk, you too," Pike turned to Chekov. "Radio the engine room, have Chief Engineer Olsen meet us at Shuttle Bay Five."

"Aye, Keptin," Chekov replied.

"Let's go," Pike signalled Jane and Sulu.

The three of them entered the turbo-lift.

~*~

"Without transporters, we can't beam off the ship, we can't assist Vulcan, we can't do our job," Pike informed Jane and Sulu as they walked towards the shuttle bay. "I'm creating an opportunity, Ms. Kirk, Mr. Sulu and Mr. Olson, you will space-jump from the shuttle. You'll have chutes, you'll land on that machine they've lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear and you'll get inside, disable that thing then beam back to the ship."

Jane and Sulu share a look.

"That all?" Jane grinned. "It'll be a walk in the park!"

Pike rolled his eyes at her as he stopped and accessed the intercom.

"Pike to Bridge," Pike said.

" _Spock here,_ " Spock answered.

"Mr. Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the ship," Pike told him. "Once we have transport capability and communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet and report what the hell's happening here. Something you've got only precious few minutes to figure out. If all else fails, fall back and rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian System. Kirk, I'm promoting you to First Officer."

"What!?" Jane head snapped up.

" _Captain?_ " Spock questioned.

"While I'm gone we need to keep the chain of command," Pike explained. "And you two will make a good team."

"You've got to be joking," Jane hissed.

" _Captain. Please. I apologize, but the complexities of human pranks escape me,_ " Spock replied.

"It's not a prank, Spock," Pike told him. "And I'm not the Captain. You are. Careful with the ship. She's brand new."

Pike started walking again and Jane and Sulu jog to catch up.

"Once we knock out that machine," Jane questioned. "Sir, what happens to you?"

"I guess you'll have to come get me," Pike glanced at her as they entered the shuttle bay. "Suit up."

Not three minutes later Jane, Sulu and Olson were dressed in their suits ready for the drop. The airdrop armour fitted quite tightly as Jane adjusted a straps of her harnesses and shifted her web belt. She clipped a comm set into her ear and gripped her helmet under one arm. Jane and Sulu were sitting next to each other across from Olson and Jane tried to ignore the way he was staring at her, it what she concluded was a glorified cat-suit.

"I am pumped to kick some Romulan ass!" Olson exclaimed. "No joke. BRING IT ON!"

Jane rolled her eyes and turned to Sulu as the shuttle took off.

"So what kinda combat training do you have?" Jane asked.

"Fencing," Sulu answered proudly.

"Fencing…" Jane replied with a shake of her head.

The Romulans were going to eat him alive.

A klaxon sounded, signalling they had arrived at the drop sight and Jane quickly put on her helmet and locked it in place.

" _Pre-jump on one,_ " Pike said over the intercom. " _Three, two, one._ "

Jane and Sulu's gaze met for a second, as the gravity within the shuttle was switched off, the floor beneath them opened and suddenly they were falling.

" _Good luck,_ " Pike's voice echoed in their ears.


	6. Chapter 6

Jane, Sulu and Olson entered free fall and Jane quickly twisted herself into the correct potion. She really didn't want to miss their target. She also didn't want to have to explain how she survived if she missed and crashed into the planet's surface and lived, which she would. She'd yet to come across anything in this universe which was capable of killing her... Well apart from the mutated victims of C-24.

"Whoah," Olsen yelled as they fell. "Yeah!"

Behind her Sulu and Olson corrected their positions and they fell into a line with her. They fall alongside the cable like structure which linked the drill to the ship. It reminded Jane of tentacles, the way the cables danced in the air, even the way the entire structure moved made it look like it was alive. Through the comm in her helmet, Jane hears Sulu pull his shoot and she falls for a couple seconds more before pulling her own. But Olsen doesn't and flies straight passed them both.

"OLSON," Jane screamed, as she realised if he didn't pull his shot right that second, he wouldn't make the landing. "PULL IT NOW! PULL YOUR CHUTE NOW!"

He was thirty feet from the platform when he pulled his chute and Jane watched as it opens. But he'd opened it too late. He didn't have time to stabilise and slammed straight into the metal platform and bounced of the side, getting sucked into the swirling vortex under the drill. Jane cursed, there was little else she could do. She counted down in her head as she approached the platform, hoping she didn't meet the same fate as Olsen.

Thirty feet...

Twenty feet...

Ten feet...

She landed hard and she could feel her right ankle shatter on impact and she bounced forward. By the time she landed for the second time, her ankle had already healed and she quickly got her balance and hits the button on her chute strap and her chute auto-retracts.

Looking up Jane caught sight of Sulu, but as he came into land, his chute got caught on one of the cables, ten feet above the platform. With the wind blowing Sulu from side to side like a pendulum, he was having trouble reaching for something to grab onto, while the lines of his chute began to get caught on the cables and even over the sound of the roaring wind, Jane could hear them being to snap one by one.

"I'm coming," Jane told him through the comm in her helmet. "Hold on."

She ran towards the cables at the centre of the platform and began to climb up. Above her Sulu was using the remaining chute lines, to pull himself towards the cables.

"Behind you!" Sulu suddenly yelled.

Jane turned her head and looked down at the platform below her. A Romulan had just climbed out of a hatch and was heading in her direction, weapon at the ready. Jane, without a moments thought, jumped down from where she had climbed to and meet the Romulan half way. Jane pulled off her helmet as she moved, her short hair was instantly whipped up by the wind and she grinned at the approaching Romulan. She was stronger, she was faster and she was far more intelligent.

This wasn't going to be a fair fight.

Jane swung as soon as she was in range, using her helmet as a boxing glove and sending the Romulan stumbling backwards with a bloody face and a broken nose. He seemed surprised at Jane's strength, but it didn't take him long to recover and charge at her. Jane moved out the way easily and sent a kick at the Romulan's back causing him to almost fall from the platform, but he managed to regain his balance before he reached the edge.

Out the corner of her eye, she saw Sulu had managed to free himself and was currently fighting a second Romulan, with a sword Jane hadn't even realised he'd bought with him... Maybe fencing wasn't such a bad fighting skill to have after all, as the Romulan couldn't get close enough to Sulu to do any damage without being sliced to pieces.

Jane doesn't waste any time, she moved forward and kicked the Romulan in the stomach as he turned to face her once more and he fell backwards, straight over the edge of the platform and Jane moved forward just in time to see him get swallowed up by the vortex below. She turned just as Sulu run the second Romulan he was fighting through with his sword and Jane grinned at him before moving towards the hatch the Romulans had come through.

She dropped down into what could only be the drills control room, Sulu dropping down behind her a second later.

"None of this is familiar," Sulu said. "The interface, the controls…"

"Don't worry," Jane grinned. "I'll have it shut down in no time."

Jane stepped forward and flicked a switch the entire machine shut down, leaving only the howling wind outside as the only sound around them. Jane pulled her phaser from her belt and fired a single shot at the console. There was no way they'd be able to fix the damage and restart the drill before the evacuation of Vulcan was completed. Starfleets' ships may have been destroyed, but the Vulcan's were logical enough to have evacuation vessels on the ground to escape in.

~*~

Jane and Sulu pulled themselves from the control room and back out onto the surface of the drill, when a noise from above causes Jane to look up. A high-pitched shrieking sound was coming from above. Sulu followed her gaze with a frown, not seeing or hearing anything. But Jane could see something falling towards them at high speeds but she couldn't work out what it was.

Suddenly it goes flying past them and Sulu moved to the edge of platform to try and catch sight of what it was. Moments later a shockwave erupts from the planet below, causing everything to shake. Jane reached for the comm link in her helmet.

"Kirk to Enterprise," Jane yelled over the wind. "They just launched something toward the planet. A capsule of some kind."

The platform suddenly tilts and Jane watched as Sulu fell backwards off the edge of the platform. Without a moment of hesitation, Jane locked her helmet into place and run forward and jumped off the edge of the platform, after Sulu. She quickly entered a nose dive and pressed her arms to her side.

Four hundred feet below her, Sulu was falling wildly, spinning out of control. Jane moved her hands and feet, angling herself towards him. The gap between them began to close.

Three hundred feet…

Two hundred feet…

One hundred feet…

Fifty feet...

Soon they were only thirty feet apart and five thousand feet from the surface.

Twenty feet…

Ten feet…

Jane slammed into Sulu with enough force to send them both spiralling out of control. Jane quickly locked her arms around Sulu in an iron grip and tried to control their movements.

"I gotcha!" Jane exclaimed. "Now pull my chute!"

Sulu does and the chute opens, but the chute can't support the weight of two people and the lines snap and they are both falling uncontrollably once more.

"Enterprise, we're falling without a chute!" Jane yelled into her comm. "Beam us up! BEAM US UP!"

" _I'm trying! I can't lock on your signal!_ " The transporter chief answered. " _You're moving too fast!_ "

"ENTERPRISE, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Jane yelled, as she and Sulu drew even closer to the planet's surface.

" _Holdonholdonholdonholdon_!" Chekov's voice suddenly sounded through her comm.

"NOW! NOW! NOW!" Jane yelled. "DO IT NOW!"

She wasn't going to let Sulu die today, even if it was only Sulu they were able to beam up, she'd be happy.

She'd survive the landing, Sulu wouldn't.

" _Compensating gravitational pull and…_ " She heard Chekov say. " _Ee hev you!_ "

Five feet before they hit the ground, transporter beams appeared around them and Jane and Sulu dematerialise and rematerialise a foot above the Enterprise's transporter pad. The two of them land painfully and Jane felt a couple of ribs snap and she gasps for breath as Sulu rolled off her panting. By the time she rolled onto her side they had already healed. The transporter engineers gape at them in amazement and relief. Chekov, who was sat the transporter controls, laughed.

"Thanks," Sulu muttered, still slightly breathless.

"Yeah," Jane answered. "No problem."

As Jane and Sulu got their feet and stepped off the transporter, Spock hurried into the room.

"Step aside," Spock ordered. "I'm going to the surface."

As the console engineer quickly typed in the new commands.

"The surface?" Jane demanded. "You're going down there? Are you insane?"

"Energise," Was all Spock said.

Jane could only watch in disbelief as Spock dematerialised.

~*~

Jane stood beside Uhura as she worked at her station, with her arms folded over her chest as she watched Spock. Not long after Spock had beamed down to the planet, it had began to fall apart, literally. And not long after he had returned the entire planet had caved in on itself to reveal a black hole at its core.

"Lieutenant, have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" Spock asked.

"Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain," Uhura answered.

"Earth may be his next stop," Jane agreed. "But we have to assume every Federation planet's a target."

"Yes, agreed," Chekov agreed with her. "But why didn't zey destroy us?"

"Why waste a weapon?" Sulu answered. "We weren't a threat."

"That's not it," Spock disagreed. "He said he wanted me to see something. The destruction of my home planet."

"And how the hell did they do that by the way?" McCoy demanded. "When did they jump so far ahead in the arms race?"

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest the answer. Such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space time," Was Spock's answer.

"Damnit, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist," McCoy replied. "Are you suggesting they're from the future?"

"That's what he's suggesting," Jane nodded, moving away from Uhura's station. "It make sense… But what would an angry future Romulan want with Captain Pike?"

"As Captain he knows details of Starfleet's defences," Sulu pointed out.

"That's not it," Jane disagrees. "Did you see the weapons that ship had? They don't need to know our defences. They're untouchable… What we need to do is catch up to that ship. Disable it, take it over and get Pike back."

Everyone looks at Jane like she's lost her mind and Jane stares back at them raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Fantastic," McCoy said, sarcastically. "I'm in."

"Captain Pike left us with standing orders to rendezvous with the fleet on the other side of the quadrant," Spock told her. "We're technologically outmatched in every way. A rescue attempt would be illogical."

"'Illogical'," Jane laughed. "You're funny. You beamed down to the surface of Vulcan! Don't talk to me about what is logic and what's illogical, because it's bullshit! Yes, you saved the elders and your family, but what you did was dangerous and highly illogical. And tell me, how is that any different to us going to save Pike? Huh? I consider him my family."

"Not to mention we couldn't do zat anyway," Chekov cut in before Spock could answer. "Nero's ship would hev to drop out of warp for us to overtake zem."

"What about assigning Engineering crews to try and boost our warp yield?" Jane questioned.

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on the lower decks and damage to the main deflector shield," Spock replied. "Without which we cannot communicate with Starfleet."

"Okay, okay," Jane said. "There's got to be some way!"

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet to balance the terms of our next engagement," Spock answered.

"Are you stupid?" Jane demanded. "There won't be a next engagement, Spock! By the time we've 'gathered', it'll be too late. How many planets are you willing to risk? More to the point how do you even know Nero doesn't know what we're about to do?"

"You're assuming Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold," Spock said. "The contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the U.S.S. Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating a new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party."

"Does anyone understand him?" McCoy asked, as Jane stopped next to him.

"An alternate reality," Uhura said, stunned.

"Precisely," Spock inclined his head. "Whatever lives we might have lived, if the time continuum was disrupted... Our destinies have changed."

"That wasn't what I was talking about," Jane shook her head. "You are Vulcan. Every Vulcan thinks the same way. You will do what is logical, no matter which reality he's from… You will always make the same choice, when it doesn't affect you personally and clouds your judgment."

"Mr. Sulu, plot a course for the Laurentian system, Warp Factor Three," Spock turned to Sulu.

"Wait, don't do that Spock, running back to the rest of the fleet is a massive waste of time," Jane exclaimed.

"These were the orders Captain Pike issued when he left the ship," Spock replied.

"He also ordered us to go back and get him!" Jane took a step towards Spock. "Spock, you're Captain now!"

"I am aware of my responsibilities, Ms. Kirk!" Spock answered and Jane took a step back at his tone.

"Every second we waste," Jane glared at him. "Nero's getting closer to his next target!"

"That is correct," Spock said. "And why I'm instructing you to accept that I alone am in command."

"I will not allow us to go backwards, away from the problem, instead of hunting Nero down!" Jane exclaimed.

"Then I must remove you from this ship," Spock replied. "If I confine you to the brig, you'll likely escape. Mr. Chekov, have transportation prepare a deployment capsule. Mr. Sulu, escort her out."

For a moment nobody moved. McCoy moved forward and Jane had no doubt he was about to step up and try and defend her, but Jane held up her hand and stopped him.

"It's okay, Bones," Jane smiled at him. "I'll see you later."

"Jane…" McCoy said.

"Bones," Jane turned to him. "It's fine… Promise me something?"

"Anything," McCoy answered, moving forward and taking one of Jane's hands.

"If I can't save Earth on my own, don't blame Spock," Jane replied. "He's going to need someone on his side… Because if I fail, they'll be a lot of people blaming him."

"Jane…" McCoy shook his head.

"Bones, promise me," Jane repeated.

"Okay," McCoy finally said.

"Thank you," Jane leant forward and kissed him and this time she didn't catch him off guard.

"I'm sorry," Sulu said approaching her as Jane and McCoy pulled apart.

"Yeah, don't worry about it…" Jane said, before turning to address Spock. "Congratulations Spock, you've just succeeded in ensuring Vulcan doesn't become the only newly endangered species today."


	7. Chapter 7

Jane groaned as she slowly blinked her eyes open. As her vision came into focus she was greeted by the blinking lights of the control panel in front of her. She reached up and wiped the blood from her forehead, from where she'd collided with said control panel when the shuttle pod she was in had crashed into the planet's surface.

Reaching up, Jane wiped the condensation from the glass and looked out. The pod was at the base of an ice tunnel, at least thirty feet deep. Jane groaned again. She couldn't believe it, Spock had marooned her! The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in her shoulder as she was being escorted from the bridge and then darkness. Next thing she knew, she was in free fall inside a shuttle pod.

How stupid was she? For a second when she'd first come to in the shuttle pod as it was falling, she had actually thought the Enterprise had been attacked and she'd been in an escape pod, only she'd been alone and as the pod spun she'd seen the Enterprise disappearing into the distance as it jumped to warp. They hadn't even waited to see if she'd survived the fall to the surface! If she ever got her hands on Spock…

"Computer..." Jane muttered. "Where am I?"

" _Current location: Delta Vega, Class M Planet, unsafe,_ " The computer answered her question. " _You have been ordered to remain in your pod until retrieved by Starfleet authorities._ "

"Bite me," Jane replied as she pulled herself free of her seat. "How's that?"

She glared around the inside of her shuttle pod. She'd been marooned on a dangerous planet. Not only that but if she remained in the pod, the temperature would kill her… Well, it would if she was actually human. So Jane reached up and forced the door to the shuttle pod open. She gasped as the cold air hit her and shivered. She looked round the shuttle, but there was nothing of use.

"Son of a bitch," Jane growled as she climbed out of the shuttle pod and began to climb up the thirty-foot-tall tunnel of ice the shuttle had made. "I swear, Spock, the next time I see you…"

Finally she reached the top. It was even colder on the surface and Jane shivered again and cursed her uniform. It didn't even have sleeves!

"I hate you so much, Spock," Jane muttered as she randomly picked a direction and began walking.

Suddenly Jane remembered the comm device she'd hidden in her boot when she'd gotten back from taking out the drill with Sulu. She quickly reached down and pulled it out from where it was it was hidden. She flipped it open and started recording a message.

"Lieutenant's log, supplemental," Jane spoke into the device. "I'm preparing a testimonial for my Starfleet court martial, assuming there's still a Starfleet left. Acting Captain Spock, whose only form of expression's are apparently limited to his left damn eyebrow, has marooned me on Delta Vega in what I believe to be a violation of security protocol 49.09, governing the treatment of prisoners aboard a st-"

A growl sounded through the air and Jane froze. She quickly looked round, but a storm had picked up while she was walking and the falling snow limited the distance she could see. Another growl sounded and out of the falling snow in the distance a beast appeared. It looked like a cross between a polar bear and a gorilla.

"What the-" Jane muttered taking a series of small steps backwards.

The beast charged straight towards her.

Jane doesn't hesitate, she turned and ran. She really didn't want to try her luck at being eaten alive, the cold was bad enough. She rushed through the snow, which was deep enough to reach her knees, and melted snow run down her legs and into her boots, but the creature was gaining on her fast.

"I hate you, Spock," Jane screamed as she run. "I really hate you! I'm about to be eaten alive and it's your fault! Just because you can't cope with a first officer challenging your decisions as Captain!"

Suddenly behind her something burst through the ice, the force of which, knocked her off her feet. Jane rolled onto her back and stared up at the monstrous creature which had broken through the ice.

It was huge.

Its red colour was a strong contrast to the all white around them and it grabbed the creature which had been chasing her and threw it through the air like it was nothing more than a rag doll.

It turned towards Jane and let out a roar, which left Jane's ears ringing. Jane jumped to her feet and run. The creature let out another roar and started chasing her. Suddenly there was no ground below her feet and Jane found herself tumbling down the side of a cliff. She could hear and feel her bones braking as she fell. She crashed into the surface of a frozen lake and she laid there, stunned, for a moment. Jane stared up at the creature as it reached the edge of the cliff and roared down at her.

It was too steep for it to follow her.

She could only watch in horror as the ground beneath it gave way and it came tumbling down the side of cliff towards her. Jane jumped to her feet and ran, slipping and sliding on the ice as she went. Across the frozen lake, Jane caught sight of a cave. Hopefully the creature wouldn't be able to follow her into it. The opening looked small enough that it wouldn't be able to fit, but the creature lived on this ice planet, so who knew how it had evolved to catch its prey, for all she knew it'd just burrow underground and avoid the entrance all together.

~*~

Jane raced through the entrance to the cave, only to stumble and crash to the ground as the creature wrapped its tongue around her left ankle. Jane rolled on to her back and kicked at the creatures tongue with her other foot, as she reached out and tried to grab onto anything she could.

Suddenly a figure wielding a torch appeared from behind her and warded the creature off, which backed off very quickly at the sight of an open flame. The figure chased the creature out of the cave, before walking back to her. Jane breathed heavily and stared up as the figure approached her, but she couldn't make out their face from under their hood.

"The Hen-Gras," A male voice told her. "Notoriously afraid of heat."

The figure reached up and pulled his hood down and Jane was greeted by the sight of an ancient looking Vulcan. The Vulcan moved closer to her and stared at her in amazement.

"Hey..." Jane said. "Thank you."

"Jane?" The Vulcan asked.

"How'd you know my name?" Jane demanded.

"How did you find me?" The Vulcan asked. "Does Starfleet know of my presence?"

"How do you know my name?" Jane repeated.

"I have been… and always shall be," The Vulcan said. "... Your friend."

"No," Jane shook her head. "I don't know you, the only Vulcan I know isn't exactly a friend of mine."

"You are Jane T. Kirk," The Vulcan said. "Your father is George, as is your brother. Your mother's name is Winona. You were born in 2233."

"Stop. Please," Jane said, holding up a hand. "I don't understand."

"I am Spock," The Vulcan explained. "One hundred and thirty years senior to the Vulcan you know."

"Bullshit," Was Jane's reply.

"Come," The Vulcan, Spock, said as he noticed her shiver.

It seemed he hadn't notched her lack of coat until now... Or cloths in generally.

If there was still a Starfleet Command after this was over, she was going to complain. Who in their right mind though this style of dress was a good idea? It was only just long enough to cover her ass and she didn't dare bend over in the presence of others! To make it worse, it had no sleeves! Did Starfleet want their female workforce to freeze to death!?!

Jane slowly got to her feet and followed the older version Spock. He led Jane through the tunnels, until they reached a cave, where a fire burned in the centre. Old Spock quickly moved across the cave and grabbed a garment from the floor and handed it to her. Jane took it and pulled the Vulcan styled floor-length coat on, running a hand over the delicate embroidery as she did so. A look crossed Old Spock's face when he saw Jane wearing it, but it was gone before Jane could work out what it was.

"It's remarkably pleasing to see you again," Old Spock said. "Especially after the events of today."

"Sir," Jane sat down beside the fire. "I don't have any idea how you know what you know. But I don't know you and if you are Spock, we're not friends. You hate me. You marooned me here for mutiny."

"Mutiny?" Old Spock repeated. "You are not the Captain?"

"You're the Captain," Jane explained. "Pike was taken hostage."

"By Nero," Spock stated.

"What do you know about him?" Jane asked.

"He is a remarkably troubled Romulan," Spock said, moving towards her. "Please. Allow me, it will be easier."

Old Spock reached towards Jane's face, but Jane moved lightening fast and grabbed hold of Old Spock's wrist, ignoring the way Old Spock's checks and ears flushed green.

"What are you doing?" Jane demanded.

"A mind meld is the quickest way to transfer the necessary information in the time we have," Spock explained.

"I thought you had to ask permission before entering someone else mind," Jane pointed out.

"Forgive me," Old Spock said.

Old Spock gently placed his fingers on Jane's cheek and temple.

"Our minds... one and together...One hundred and twenty-seven years from now everything ends…"

~*~

Jane inhaled sharply as she was released from the mind meld. She'd seen everything. Jane stared at Old Spock. Her mind was spinning from all she had seen. There had been so many emotions. Old Spock had lost everything. He was now trapped in a universe where everything was the same, but completely different at the same time… His bond-mate existed in this universe, but he could never have them, because they belonged to the other version himself. This universes version.

"Forgive me," Spock said. "Emotional transference is an effect of the mind meld."

Jane wipes her eyes on the sleeve of the coat she's wearing.

"Going back in time," Jane said. "You changed all our lives."

"Yet remarkably, events within our timelines, characteristics, people... Seem to overlap significantly," Old Spock answered. "Tell me about the rest of the crew? Chekov? Uhura?"

"Navigator and Communications," Jane answered.

"Sulu?" Old Spock questioned.

"He's the helmsman, why?" Jane asked.

"Doctor McCoy would assert our meeting here is not a matter of coincidence," Old Spock said. "But rather, indication of a higher purpose."

"He'd call it a damn miracle," Jane answered with a smile.

"Yes, he would," Spock agreed. "Perhaps it is this time stream's way of attempting to mend itself. In both our histories, the same crew found its way onto the same ship in a time of ultimate crisis, therein lies our advantage. We must go, there's a Starfleet outpost not far from here."

Jane got to her feet.

"Where you came from... Was there anything different about me?" Jane asked.

"What do you mean?" Old Spock frowned slightly.

"Never mind," Jane shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

Together they left the cave and entered a raging blizzard. Jane refrained from cursing the younger Spock, purely because she didn't want to offend the Spock she was currently walking beside. Suddenly Old Spock pointed towards something in the distance. It was an outpost!

Upon reaching the outpost, Jane and Old Spock pushed the entrance open and entered a long corridor. The door closed behind them and Jane took a step forward looking round. There didn't appear to be anyone here.

"Hello?!" Jane called out.

Her voice echoed down the corridor.

Jane shrugged one shoulder and began walking down the corridor, Old Spock a step behind her. After a couple of moments, Jane caught sight of one the outposts staff. A small, darkly coloured alien was walking towards them.

"Can I help you?" It asked.

"Are you the station chief?" Old Spock questioned.

The alien looked them over.

"No," It said. "This way."

They follow the alien into a massive warehouse, filled with more parts than a junk yard. There was a shuttle and Jane's eyes widened as she saw it was from the USS Farragut and it looked damaged. They continued to follow the alien, who led them to a small office, where a man was asleep with his feet resting on a table. Jane couldn't see his face, as he was lent back in his chair with a hat across his face to block out the light.

"Hm," He woke with a start as the alien tapped his booted feet.

"Visitors," The alien said.

The Officer peered at the, from under his hat.

"You realize how unacceptable this is," The officer said.

"Excuse me?" Jane demanded.

"Fascinating," Old Spock said.

"What?" Jane asked turning to face him.

"I'm sure it's no' your fault, and I know youse lad and lass are just doing your jobs, but could you no' have come a wee bit sooner?!" The Officer said getting to his feet. "Six months I've been living on nothing but Starfleet Protein Nibs and the promise of a real food delivery! Six months! It's pretty clear what's going on here, isn't it? Punishment! Ongoing! For something that was clearly an accident!"

"You're Montgomery Scott," Old Spock said.

"You know him?" Jane asked.

"Yes, that's me, Scotty, you're in the right place," The Officer, Scotty said. "Are there any other hard-working and equally-starving Starfleet officers around?"

"Me," The alien said.

"Keenser, you eat nothing," Scotty told the alien. "A bean and you're done for a week, I need food. And now you're here, so, thank you. Where is it?"

"You are in fact the Mr. Scott who postulated the theory of trans-warp beaming," Old Spock said.

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm talking about! How d'ya think I ended up here? I got into a debate with my instructor on the issue of Relativistic Physics as they pertain to subspace travel," Scotty said. "He seemed to think that the range of transporting say, a roast turkey, was limited to a few hundred miles, so I told my instructor I could not only beam a bird from one planet to an adjacent planet in the same system, which is no big deal anyway, but if I were so inclined I could actually do it with a lifeform! So I tested it on Admiral Archer's prize beagle. Which... Was a mistake."

"I know that dog," Jane said. "What happened to it?"

"I'll tell ya when it reappears," Scotty said.

"What if I told you your trans-warp theory was correct?" Old Spock said. "That it is indeed possible to beam onto a ship that is travelling at warp speed. And that you only required the correct field equation to recrystallize dilithium?"

"I haven't been stationed here that long. If such an equation had been discovered, I'da heard."

"The reason you haven't heard of it, Mr. Scott... Is because you haven't discovered it yet."

Jane glanced sharply at Old Spock.

"Y'from the future, are ya? Brilliant. D'they still have sandwiches where you're from? Piece and jam? Mince 'n tatties? Cockaleekie soup?"

"What is he talking about?" Jane asked, turning to Keenser.

"Food," Was her answer.

"Allow us access to your shuttle... And I will show you what a genius you actually are."

"About the shuttle," Jane quickly cut in. "Where there any survivors?"

"Aye, lass," Scotty said. "They're in the sleeping quarters."

"Please, excuse me," Jane said. "Keener, could you show me where they are?"

"This way," Keenser said.


End file.
